Mazda Millenia

Comments

Mazda is just covering their tushes - "don't put this electric heater in the bathtub" type of thing. DUH!!! I see nothing wrong with the once-in-a-long-while addition of a bottle of injector cleaner in a full tank of gasoline. Injectors do get fouled up after many miles and the proper or discriminate use of a bottle now and then has likely done more good than harm. I am not sure where one could buy leaded gasoline anymore other than perhaps Arizona or New Mexico. In 1991 I was surprised to find most gas was still leaded and of very low octane. What are they driving out there, bashed up red pickup trucks from the 50's?

Fairwood, here is some of the abbr. you wanted: MAP is a manifold absolute pressure, MAF is a mass air flow, and HO2S is a heated oxygen sensor. The manual has just over a page of abbr. in it. I also use fuel injection cleaners, but just once a year, and have never had problems. I agree that manufactures and dealers use this to cover themselves and also to try and hit you up to let them clean the FI for $200 plus. The mechanics that I have talked too have never said anything bad about the cleaners and some recommend that it be used.

Do not go picking on us down here in the southwest. We may be a little slow on getting up to speed but we are not that bad. Fwatson is right that it is Mexico that still has leaded gas not New Mexico.

Steevo2 glad to hear everything is running well for you now, and I don't think $500 is bad for the work. I think too many people get caught up in the intial spending instead of looking at it over the life of the car.

I think the other thing that needs to be looked at about the gas, even though it must conform to standards, is how often the gas stations change the filters at the pumps in order to keep the garbage from by-passing it and ending up in your tank.

Thanks for abbr. data and please note that I said it was 1991, 12 years ago almost to the month. Spent some scary moments in a VW van with a wheelchair lift thru the mountains. Sparks were coming off the side of the van as I hugged the inside lane going down to Alberquerque NM. Go like heck down the hills with MACK spelled backwards in the rearview mirror and watching little old ladies on bicycles pass us on the way up. I learned to panic only when there were no guard rails because there was no room for them, straight down a couple of miles it seemed to this flatlander. Actually we have some great memories and video from that month-long trip to celebrate my retirement. Thinking of going back to work after 12 years just to get a rest! Always wanted to drive Route 66 and did so for several hundred miles thru Kansas, OK especially and NM if this old memory serves me correctly. Thanks again.

If you need any other abbr. go ahead and ask. If I can find it I will let you know what it is. I know what you mean about these abbr. if it wasn't for the book I would be looking like a deer in headlights. It is interesting watching the flatlanders on these mountain roads out here.

1.Was the the Audio Anti-Theft Feature offered only on 95-96 models and discontinued for 97-02?

2.Can you use 97 regular unleaded gas on 2.5 engines without any engine troubles in the future?

3.Is the 2.5 engine reliable and is it easy tomaintain and inexpensive to fix? If not whats the most problem people is having with the 2.5L?"

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1-My "01 has an Anti-theft alarm, but I don't know if or how it might tie into the audio.

2-Not only can you run 87 octane regular unleaded, but there is a TSB telling you to do so in order to avoid carbon buildup on the valves. I have always run 87 with no problem at all.

3-The 2.5 is a superb engine, and is rated along with the rest of the car by Consumer Reports as outstanding. It is also rated excellent by CarPoint with their top ratings in all catagories. The only repetitive problem was with the spark plug wires on the '95 and '96.

The only "problem" (it actually caused no noticable problem)I have had with my "01 was a knock sensor that was replaced under warranty two weeks ago at about 12500 miles. It caused the CEL to come on occasionally. Otherwise the car has performed flawlessly. But if you are looking for a hot rod as some here seem to be, that it is not. While it has all the performance I have any use for, there have been a few here complaining they can't outdrag a Maxima or some such.

I'd say if you are looking for an excellent car for normal use, you can't go wrong. But if you like to run stop light Grand Prix's buy something more powerful.

Mazcarfan1 my '02 has the anti-theft but like Fwatson I do not know if there is one specifically for the audio. As far as the 2.5 engine goes I would not think it would be any more difficult to work on or cost any more to be fixed than most other cars. If you noticed I said most other cars. I have the 2.3 S model so Fwatson would be more of a help to you on this. I have driven 2 626's that have this 2.5 engine in them and they do seem to be an ok engine. But as Fwatson has said if you want to race then look for something else.

Since repairs seem to be the theme here recently, I have one for you guys. For about two months now there has been a loud humming noise coming from the front right of the car. It gets worse when I turn the wheel slightly right, and is almost nothing when I turn the wheel slightly left. Tires have been rotated to that is not the issue. I am taking it in Saturday to see what it is. I have no idea, but thinking maybe a wheel bearing? Will let you guys know the damage.

heybrady: I had such experience with my '97 Camry that I owned a while ago: noise from front passenger side (PS) while making left turn or during straight driving. The noise would go away during right turn. I replaced everything that would make sense: tie rod end, front PS wheel bearing, lower control arm, etc. But what surprised me was that the noise was caused by REAR wheel bearing (PS), and I found the cause accidentally.

My guess is that the noise in your case is caused by front wheel bearing, but don't get mad at auto mechanic if he wants to replace the rear one.

I purchased the wheel bearing assembly for $225 from Toyota dealer (with 20% discount) and replaced it myself. That Camry bearing had a built-in ABS rotor (non-removable - stupid design) on the side opposite to the wheel mounting bolts, and probably that is the reason it was quite expensive. Toyota could make that wheel bearing assembly simpler with removable ABS rotor, and lower the cost of the wheel bearing. But I am grateful to Toyota for that stupid design because I broke that rotor when tried to remove it, had to replace the whole bearing assembly because of that, and ..it fixed my noise problem. I don't know if the MM's wheel bearing is designed the same way.

Since everybody is talking about repairs... I had mysterious coolant loss ('01 Mill S) that started at about 16K miles, a year ago. The y replaced the water pump, thermostat (twice), but still in about 2000 miles coolant would go from full to well under minimum. They even added fluorescent dye to the coolant hoping to trace where it is getting out (they took spark plugs out and look inside cylinders with bore-scope and on the plugs... nothing!).So, after 8 visits to the dealer I finally got new engine block. While they were test-driving after block replacement, the transmission malfunctioned (delayed shifts to 4th, splipping between gears). So, the installed new tranny, too, while at it. I've put 1300 miles on service loaner, a decent Mazda 6.My warranty expires in June '04 (have 32 K now, and really new engine and new tranny). I'm thinking should I trade this thing in or believe all the demons have been exorcised and keep the car? I'm not much of a betting man... :-)

So after the new engine and transmission did they ever find out where the coolant loss was at? Did they ever do a pressure test to the system? I think I would hang on to the car until you see if the problem has actually been fixed or until it comes closer to the time warranty will expire, especially if you like the car. I think in the past you have said you do not tend to keep cars for a long time, 10 years or so. Correct me if I am wrong on this, but if you do not keep them long I think I would start looking maybe next year since you are not a gambling person.

They didn't find out the root cause or didn't tell me. During those 8 visits leading to block replacement they did at least 4 pressure tests. The thing is the loss was 12-14 oz in 2000 miles of driving, and I think it was occurring during long trips under conditions they couldn't replicate in the shop. I think you're right, I'll hang on to it until June at least because I do like the car - if it doesn't misbehave (so far so good - in the first 70 miles after repairs).Oh well, good that they have those warranties.Tomek

The problem was a bad left front wheel bearing. Got a crack in it somehow and then water and gunk got inside, screwing up the bearings. Car is back to its old quiet self. Not as much as a whisper while driving. Total cost was $85 for the bearing and $70 for labor. $160-something after taxes. Pretty reasonable I think. Also replaced windshield wipers and headlights. Had a lamp burnout so replaced both sides with some Cool White GE lights from Walmart. They light up the road a little better than the stock lights, which I thought were not too great.

The 6 is a pretty good car. They gave me 4 cyl version (auto). I felt it was underpower in certain situations especially when caught in second gear with speed just too high to downshift to first for the extra oomph... I also had big 'ol clunk in the driver's door and a buzz in one of the speakers. Check engine light was on all the time (I checked engine, it was still there, so I continued driving).I have to say that despite all that it was a likable car, VERY entertaining to drive, with excellent steering response and really good, tight suspension. BMW on a budget. I personally probably would go for V6 w/stick... but that just me. Pushing 40 and feeling the need to row some gears myslef just for the heck of it.Tomek

Does anyone think that Mazda will ever come out with another luxury or near luxury sedan or line of vehicles again? Do you think that the lack luster sales of the Millenia has put an end to Mazda looking into this? Does this then mean that Mazda will be stuck as a second or third tier auto manufacturer permanetly?

With the 6 being the most expensive model in the lineup, it doesnt have a luxury feel at all. Reminds me of an Alero or Grand Am in style. Too many angles and ground effects, etc. If they come out with a car that has clean lines and has a luxury/performance feel to it, similar to new Maxima (even though it is ugly) or TL or G35 they may have a shot. Market is pretty full for low $30's cars though. MM could have stayed around longer if it was redesigned with bigger engine and bigger size interior.

I agree with you that the low $30 and even the mid $30 market is jammed with vehicles now. I also think the MM could have stayed around longer especially if they made the car bigger. For what ever reason Mazda comes out with good cars but they then let them just sit there and die. They do not try and do any real improvements on them to keep up with the competition. I hate to say it but that is sad to say. They would rather come out with a design and then leave it there for 10 years or less without making any real improvements to it and then scrap it for a new model. Then they can't figure out why their sales figures are dropping like a lead ballon on the vehicle.

It has been a long time since I posted here, so I thought I would give an update on my 99 Millenia S.

42K miles, and I am already on my third set of tires. I went to H rated tires hoping they will last longer. Absolutely no problems, and maintenance has pretty much been a battery, and oil changes that the Dealer does for free.

This car has been very good to me and my pocket book (except for the tires, which is probably due to how I drive). Only two more payments!

I am surprised you are already on your 3rd set of tires with 42,000 miles (67,200 kms). I managed to squeeze a good 54,000 KMS out of the OEM Dunlop SP5000 - having rotated them diligently every 10,000 Kms. I was at one time considering switching to an H rated but then decided to go for the Toyo Proxes TPT V rated which has a treadwear rating of 100,000 km - well this is to be seen. You are lucky though that you haven't encountered any major issues with your car. My 2001 S has undergone all sorts of warranty repairs, including the replacement of the Lysholm supercharger.

However, it is a delightful car to drive, which all Mazda's are. In my opinion - having owned various models of Mazda as well as Hondas and Nissans - nothing reaches the height of Mazdas when the vehicle is behaving well!

This is a question that always bothered me. When I press Auto of climate control, the A/C kicks in no matter what the outside temperature is. This happens on all cars with climate control, at least on cars that I had (Nissan Maxima, Nissan Altima) and currently have (Isuzu Axiom, Mazda Millennia). Why?! I do not need A/C when I need to heat up the interior to certain temperature level. The problem is that when you press A/C while Auto is ON to turn off the air compressor, it disengages the Auto mode. You try to change the mode of air flow - it also disengages the Auto. Anything you try to change while in Auto - the Auto goes off. I don't want climate control to decide how and where to blow the air! I want it to do its main job - keep the temperature at certain level!

Tig, the a/c is on simply to remove moisture from the air that it blows out. this helps to keep the windows defrosted. now, as far as extra wear-and-tear on the a/c system, i have no idea. i do agree that the driver should be able to change what vents the air goes thru without turning off the system. it took me 5 months to get used to the auto feature, and finally i just learned to deal with it. it works better in the winter than the summer, imho.

I have a 98 Millenia S model with 75K miles which has provided good service. Here are the repairs that we've done since owning it:- new tires at 45k miles- replaced tilt wheel motor- 2 new O2 sensors and catalytic converter @ 60k miles (dealer paid for catalytic converter, we paid for O2).- new front end link- replaced serpentine belts and heater hose- misc park/tail light bulbs

In all, I am pleased with the vehicle service over the time we have owned it (2nd owner, 1999 @ 11k miles). I think these are great cars and still get complements, although the platform is now showing its age compared to competitive offerings.